


Disney Insanity

by DanieXJ



Series: Original Mardi Gras [1]
Category: ER
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-04-06
Updated: 2001-04-06
Packaged: 2017-11-14 00:09:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanieXJ/pseuds/DanieXJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This piece takes place about 2 years after Witch Hunt. But it is my own twisted conclusion to it. Things after Witch Hunt did not happen, no Rampage, no Season Eight through Thirteen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the original version of my Mardi Gras Series. First fanfic I ever posted (on the W_W_W list way back when) on the internet. And, yep, you can sort of tell... More recently I've been trying to redo the series, but, it's been a long process, so I thought I'd post the originals as a series too.

"It's a great idea Mom, but do you think we can pull it off."

"She's depressed, and that's a bad thing for my Psychiatrist."

The younger woman smiled, "Think you can take an attitude with me?"

The older woman tilted her head to one side, "I believe that can be arranged. And yourself..."

"It'll fit like a well worn jacket Mom..." The older woman closed her eyes and shook her head.


	2. Chapter One

"Why are you dragging me back here Maggie? I said that I would do a favor for you... You didn't say that County was where you were bringing me." Kim shook her head to clear the memories that flooded back as she walked through the doors to the Emergency Room. 

"Is there a reason why we're here?" Kim had gone into private practice even after Romano had finally lifted her unfair administrative suspension, and the bogus charges by Shannon Wallace had been dropped. Kim had not felt right working for a boss who would so quickly cut her legs out from under her. And even though she didn't often admit it to herself, she could not bear to run into Kerry in the hallways of the hospital after what had transpired between them. Kim had thought they had so much promise, and instead, only disappointment. 

So Kim had joined one of her Med School friends in private practice. And then, somehow, Maggie Wyczenski, Abby's mother, had gotten referred to Kim. She hadn't thought anything of it at first, after all, she had been there to treat Maggie when she had first come to Chicago. But now that Maggie had asked her to come to County with her. Now, Kim wasn't so sure if it had been a good idea to take Maggie on as a patient.

Maggie didn't blink as she led Kim through the ER. "You'll see Doctor Legaspi. All in good time. Soon though." Maggie stopped suddenly and turned to face Kim. "You will listen to everything they have to say first?"

Kim shrugged noncommittally, "I will listen. I'm very adept at listening." Maggie smiled and resumed her walk towards the Lounge. She plowed right in when she got to the Lounge door, surprising both people inside. But Kim was positively stunned when she saw the two people sitting at the table. Abby was on one side. Nothing much had changed about her appearance except that she now wore a white coat instead of a nurses uniform. On the other hand, Kerry, who was sitting next to her, looked ten years older than she had the last time Kim had seen her.

They both looked up as Maggie walked into the room. Abby shot her mother a look, "Mother, you're late."

Maggie put her hands on her hips, "I brought Doctor Legaspi with me. As for my lateness, I am the director, you couldn't start without me."

Kerry closed her eyes for a moment and then spoke, "You two, stop. I agreed to do this as a favor to Gabe. That is the only reason that I'm sitting in this room. So if you two want to bicker like children, do it when I don't have to be in your presence. Got it!?" Both women nodded and Kerry looked at Kim. "Doctor Legaspi, it is good to see you. Now ladies, could we get to the point?"

Maggie looked from Kerry to her daughter, back to Kerry, and then sighed and sat down at the table. Kim also sat and folded her hands across her chest. Maggie swallowed, "Doctor Legaspi, Kim, I invited you here because I would like you to play the part of the Beast in our production of Beauty and the Beast." She paused for a moment, "It is for charity."

Kim tilted her head to one side, "You are aware that the Beast is; one, male, two, usually very masculine in his outer appearance, and three, and the most important one, the man sings baritone." Kim glanced at Kerry and Abby, "You can't be serious. I'm a woman if you hadn't noticed."

As though they were a Greek chorus Abby and Kerry both muttered, "I know," at the same time.

Kim smiled and laughed, surprising both herself and everyone at the table. "So, who has Maggie cajoled you two into playing?"

Abby sighed, "I'm playing the Featherduster. Mother is going to be suited up as Mrs. Potts." Abby shot her mother a look that Kim couldn't decipher. "Ryan Mandro, who you probably don't know. He took over when Doctor Greene died. He is playing Gaston. Doctor Anspaugh is playing Maurice. Malucci," Abby smiled, "Malucci is playing LeFou. Those are the main parts that I have cast so far."

From the hall came a decidedly Croat voice almost shouting, "Abby."

Abby smiled, and quickly got up. "I had better go and explain about Lumiere... and... everything..." She dashed out the door to intercept what was definitely an annoyed Doctor Luka Kovac.

Maggie glanced around the room quickly never meeting either Kim or Kerry's gazes. Then with a smile said, "I think that I will join my daughter in the... explanations," and she was out the door in a second.

Kim raised an eyebrow at Maggie's hasty retreat. She looked over to Kerry, "So, how did they drag you into this?"

Kerry closed her eyes for a moment. She was silent for so long that Kim was sure that she wasn't going to answer. She slowly opened them, "It was suggested very forcefully that I do this by none other than the Rocket himself." Kerry spoke Robert Romano's nickname with such venom that Kim knew that something had gone down after she had been suspended. She didn't broach the subject though, it didn't feel like the right time. If she was truthful with herself, she doubted if there would ever be a right time. Kerry continued, oblivious to Kim's mind's inner workings, "They are trying to get me to be Belle. I have no idea why..."

Kim almost bit her tongue in half trying to control what came out of her mouth. She wound up with a sore tongue, but managed not to laugh. "Because you're beautiful Kerry." Kim mentally slapped her head in frustration. "I'm sorry, I didn't... the fact is true, but I shouldn't have said that... right now." Kim trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

Kerry looked down, "So you still flirt?" Kim blinked in confusion until Kerry raised her head. Kerry's eyes were practically dancing with laughter.

Doctor David Malucci took this moment to make his grand entrance, and then stopped dead in his tracks. "Dr. Legs...Legaspi." He looked back and forth between Kerry and Kim quickly. Then regaining his composure too quickly for his own good chuckled, "Shouldn't you two be on the table..."

Kerry's head swivelled slowly towards Malucci, who had shut up as he saw Kerry's head start to move. He knew he was in deep shit. "Malucci, if you know what is good for your career, life, and sexual organs. Go stand in front of that big chart that is over by the admit desk, and at least look like you're doing your job. Maybe pick out a case from the charts. Got it?"

Malucci plastered a smile on his face, nodded, and slipped out of the room backwards with out a word. Kim collapsed, laughing. Kerry simply waited the blonde psychiatrist's outburst out, then added to Kim's amusement, "Just wait until he figures out what LeFou means in French."

Kim shook her head as she took deep breaths, "Do you think they did this on purpose."

Kerry nodded her head slowly, "Yep."

Kim pursed her lips and stared at Kerry for a moment. Kim was a little surprised when Kerry simply looked back at her, waiting, "Should we fall for it?"

"It is for charity, up to you." Kerry shrugged, "On the bright side you could scare the living daylights out of Dave with the Beast Make-up."

Kim took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I can't really sing, I'm very at home in the friendly confines of my shower."

Kerry turned a deep red at this. Kerry quickly tried to regain her composure, "I too am definitely a shower singer. But, if you..." She paused, "We could annoy the hell out of the real singers together. It is for charity."

Kim seemed to go over some things in her head. Then nodded slowly, "I'll do it I guess. I still don't know how anyone is going to accomplish getting me to look like the Beast... there are some really big hurdles to get past, well, not really big, but I mean... I'm not... " Kerry laughed as Kim trailed off again and put her hand on her forehead.

Maggie chose this moment to whirl back into the room. She was followed shortly by the still arguing Luka and Abby. Luka was proclaiming very vehemently, "I will not wear this costume, it is a candle stick."

Abby huffed annoyed, "I'm the featherduster, which is not exactly a pair of pants and a shirt you know Luka. Look, it could be worse, you could have to wear Mother's costume. Right Maggie?" 

Maggie didn't bat an eye, "You are very right my dear. But if it is the price I have to pay for being allowed to direct this great little performance, I will do it for the good of all. Mr. Kovac, let's talk some more about this costume."

As they walked back out of the lounge Abby sat down wearily, and Kerry's head snapped up as if just realizing something. She shouted to Luka's now retreating back, "See some patients while you are at it." She sighed and got up. "I should probably also go check to make sure that Malucci hasn't gotten us sued. Abby, you can tell your mother that I'll play the part of Belle, but you can also remind her that I won't be put off at all if she decides that she wants someone else to play the part." She turned to Kim, "It was nice to see you again... Doct... Kim..."

Kim smiled, "Ditto." Kerry just smiled a small smile and shook her head in silent laughter. Before she stood and left the doctor's lounge Abby raised her eyebrows at Kim because of the exchange. Kim chuckled in response, "It's a long story. Are you on now Abby?"

Abby rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Nope, I just have to wait for my mother. She says that you're a great help to her. That she's figured out a lot about herself in the past year."

Kim smiled, knowing exactly what Abby was doing, trying to soften Kim up before dropping the real reason that Maggie had asked Kim to do the show. "It's my job Abs, but I'm always glad when I can truley help someone. It's much better than when they throw things at me."

Abby looked at the door of the lounge for a few minutes as the two women sat in silence. "She came out to the staff in the ER you know?"

Kim looked up, she was surprised, not so much that Kerry was out, but that she had come out to everyone at once, "What? What happened?"

"It was about three weeks after you got suspended. Romano was being an ass about some stupid budget problem that only he and devil could see. So she stood up to him. And he suddenly blurted out something along the lines of 'What, did your girlfriend do the math.' I think he meant your ages, uh... but that's not what most everyone else focused in on I think."

Kim sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, and quietly spoke, "She must have been petrified."

Abby nodded as she continued, "It seemed to everyone as though Romano was going to get a beating courtesy of her crutch. Instead she pushed him aside and stormed outside. I don't know what happened after that. We didn't see her until her next shift twelve hours later. By then the whole hospital knew, and she didn't refute it, so..."

Kim was still hearing the words 'twelve hours' echoing in her head. Twelve hours was such a long time. She shook her head as if to erase the words. But it didn't work, now she wouldn't be able to relax until she found out what had happened in those twelve hours. She sighed and got up from the table. "Abby, you can tell your mother that I'll act in her play." Her grin slowly came back to her face as a smirk. "Just warn her that I'm more suited for the Bathroom version of Carnegie Hall." Abby chuckled.


	3. Chapter Two

Kerry walked into the school building with a dour look on her face. It had been a pain in the butt day in the ER, and now she didn't get to go home and curl up with a good book and a bit of alcohol. "She couldn't have done this at a reasonable hour, no, she has to be the one morning person in Chicago." Kerry was so intent on venting about her lack of sleep that she didn't notice Kim until she had slammed very hard into the leggy blonde and wound up on her butt, on the dirty sidewalk, looking up into Kim's concerned blue eyes. As Kim looked down Kerry blushed bright red. "I'm sorry Kim, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Kim smirked as she gave Kerry a hand up and handed the redhead her crutch. They both kept walking into the school building and followed signs to the room where this first rehearsal was going to be. "That was quite obvious. So, I take it you haven't turned into a morning person?"

Kerry raised an eyebrow, "Ya think?" and quickly looked down. "Sorry."

Maggie glided into the room before anything else could be said by either woman. Kim didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Well hello you two. My isn't this a beautiful morning. Just the kind of morning that we need to practice for this glorious musical. Shall we get started?"

Kim shrugged, and Kerry shot Maggie one her patented looks, guaranteed to make residents pee their pants and attendings swallow their tongues. "Shouldn't there be more people here Maggie?"

Maggie waved her hand dismissively, "Of course not dear, they will be here at a more reasonable hour." One of Kerry's eyebrows raised involuntarily, "You two are going to practice all by yourselves first. You see, I have to make sure that you two have real chemistry. I'm not going to have you two up there pretending that you like each other. So, as your director, in these two hours I want you to sit here and talk to each other. Got it." Kerry closed her eyes and took of her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose. Kim had crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Maggie. Maggie looked back and forth between the two women, but she was so involved in her own world of directing that she did not see the death looks coming from both Kerry and Kim's eyes. She rushed out the door before either of the women could speak, and they both wound up shaking their heads.

They were silent for a few moments before Kim uncurled her arms and folded her hands in front of her. She was not sure what exactly to do with them. "So, I'm going to regret doing this aren't I?"

Kerry frowned, "In what way specifically? There are so many reasons to regret saying yes to this."

Kim plunged on undeterred by Kerry, "Well, I went out on the net last night and I found quite a bit about this musical that we're performing. I'm going to wind up being under a ton of makeup for most of the play looking like a cross between a bear and a lion, and no one has told me how in the world they are going to make me into some sort of Prince when the time comes."

Kerry tilted her head to one side, then tilted it back and to the other side. "Okay, I agree with you there. It is going to take a bit to make you a guy. A lot actually..." Kerry seemed to look at Kim's face from many different angles. Then she simply shrugged, "Good thing that I'm not doing the make-up for this show. I'm more of a writer type. Probably comes because I have to BS so much on all those reports I send up to Robert."

Kim looked interested, "You write? What? Poems, novels, short stories? I've always tended towards the visual end of art myself." Kim laughed to herself. "My parents could never keep my hands out of the paint. They finally replaced all the watercolors with finger paints, but I was happy as a well colored clam."

Kerry laughed at this, "I can see that, have you done it in a while?"

Kim shook her head, "Painted, no, I haven't had time. I went from College where I had at least a few minutes a day to paint. To Med School, where if I didn't study twenty four hours a day I would fall behind. Then I had my internship, and then my residency, and then I came to work at County. Since I wanted to make a good impression I worked a lot of double shifts until..."

Kerry pursed her lips, "You can say it Kim, until we had a relationship which I totally sabotaged because I was too stupid to see that I didn't have to come out to defend you."

Kim blinked a few times, "Kerry, what do you write?"

"I have written many things, sometimes a poem, sometimes a short story which can morph into a novel. But I haven't had time lately either. Actually," Kerry glanced down at her watch. "I'm on in a short while, but I..."

Kim smiled, "You like to get there about ten minutes early. Well, I think that we can have chemistry, do you?" There was a challenge that was issued when their eyes met. They had barely talked about what had happened on that chilly February day two years ago.

Kerry had grown though, she had come out to her co-workers, she had come out to her friends. She still didn't talk about her personal life at work, but then again, for the past two years, that had not been an issue. She had worked, slept, and she had written. What she had told Kim was not quite true. She had written more in these two years then she had written during the rest of her life, but she wasn't ready to tell Kim that yet. Hell, she wasn't sure where they stood as friends. So, she met Kim's challenge. "Dr. Legaspi, I think that we would both have to be in two tons of lion dung for us to not have chemistry."

Kim sat there with her jaw literally hanging open. As Kerry got up and turned to leave Kim quickly snapped out of her stupor and asked, "Would you mind if I accompany you on the El? I also have to get to work, and what the hell, it doesn't hurt to be early. Might give my secretary a bit of a mild heart attack, but good thing that you good doctors of County General are right around the corner."

Before they could both get out the door Maggie blocked it and stood there. "Now, where do you think that you're going?"

Kerry put a hand up, "Look, we've decided that we have chemistry, and that we both want to be on time for work." Kim raised her eyebrow at Kerry's statement, but could see the twinkle in those hazel eyes and so stayed silent and watched to see if Maggie would object.

She didn't object, but just moved to the side. "I hope that you're right..." and she was gone doing something else in the room. Both Kim and Kerry shook their heads in bemusement, and left for the El chatting about nothing in particular for the first time in years.


	4. Chapter Three

Kerry went a whole week without seeing Kim. It had been a hard week in the ER. There had been a recall of a brand of sunblock because it had been found that one of the machines had malfunctioned and therefore the sunblock was ineffective. But no one had paid any attention to this, and so there was a steady stream of very red, in pain, pissed off people waiting in chairs almost non-stop all week. Now here she was back at the school for the musical rehearsal. She sighed heavily, then practically sighed again as Kim came up from behind her and spoke, "Long week?" Kerry leaned heavily against her crutch as she walked down the hall, but didn't answer. Her hip was throbbing more than usual. Kim fell in step with her, "So, full cast rehearsal, are you ready for that?"

Kerry closed her eyes before responding, "Nope, you?"

Kim smirked, "I was kinda hoping that you would be, because I'm not either."

Kerry looked up at Kim, "Look, could we not..."

Maggie, with her perfect timing came rushing up to them, "Come on, come on...everyone is waiting for you two...stop lollygagging around."

They both pretended to look duly chastised and followed at a slightly brisker pace than they had been walking before. What they came upon was something just short of a spectacle. It even made Kerry smile. Malucci with his fruffy costume, messed hair, and blacked out teeth. Luka dressed up as a gigantic candle with legs, and Ryan Mandro was trying his best to sing "Gaston". Maggie practically shouted to the stage, "Don't go flat...I thought you could sing." She turned back to the two women, "You two, get to try on your costumes now. We need to know if they don't fit now. Haleh will help you with them."

They both followed Haleh into the dressing room. Kim asked, "How did she talk you into this?"

Haleh mumbled into the dress that she was rearranging, a very blue slightly frilly one, and held it up. "This appears that it will fit you Dr. Weaver. You can go over there," she pointed to a screen that was in a corner.

Kim smirked and snickered as Kerry walked over to the partition. Haleh didn't let this go on for more than a moment until she whipped out the Beast costume. A gigantic body suit that not only seemed to be totally made out of very heavy fur, but also had big furry feet. Kim's eyes got so large that you could have fit half dollars in them. "Right after Dr. Weaver gets into her dress, I need to see if I have to make any adjustments to this. And I'm sure that I will..."

Haleh stopped talking when she saw that she didn't have Kim's attention anymore. Kerry had walked out from behind the partition in one of Belle's dresses. Kim exhaled finally so that she could keep living, "Wow."

But Haleh didn't give Kim any time to expound on her exclamation. "You're next. Dr. Weaver, I believe that Maggie said that she wanted you out there for some sort of first number or something?" Kerry nodded and walked out of the room. Haleh mumbled mostly to herself, "I don't get it, give me Aretha any day." This brought a small smile to Kim's face which was promptly wiped off when Haleh spoke again, "You won't be smiling when I'm done with you." Kim swallowed and disappeared behind the partition.

As Kerry stepped out on-stage it was her luck that Malucci was the first to see her. He gave a wolf whistle, bad teeth and everything. Most of the cast whirled around and all exclaimed, "Malucci..."

Maggie whirled from where she was talking to Lydia, "Okay, now, we start the first scene again. And just pretend that you're all berating Dave and maybe we'll sound like a chorus. Do you think that you're ready Dr. Weaver?"

Kerry took a deep breath to stall for time. She needed to do the same thing that she did at work. She simply stuffed all her doubts, fears, wants, and needs deep down and proceeded with what she had to do. "Yes. Let's get started."


	5. Chapter Four

"I lied." Kerry was in costume and all ready to go on stage for the beginning of the musical, but that would not happen for another hour. They had been stashed in an empty classroom meanwhile.

Kim's face tensed under all her Beast make-up. You could only tell that it was Dr. Kim Legaspi if you looked very carefully, and knew that she was playing the part. "Excuse me?" Kim said, hoping that she had heard Kerry wrong. For the past two weeks they had slowly been becoming good friends again. They had even gone out on one of their pseudo-dates again, and had even playfully argued over who was going to pay the check. It had been like starting over in a way, but not every hurdle had been cleared yet. They both knew that there was  
something else that they needed to confront, but neither could put that barrier into words.

Kerry didn't meet Kim's hurting eyes as she placed a bound notebook in front of Kim. "Last night, at the dress rehearsal, I...it.." she trailed off, and instead reached down and opened the notebook to the last page.

Kim grasped the notebook with her fur covered hands, and read the writing out loud.

"One touch  
Twenty-four hours  
Two years  
A lifetime  
New perspectives  
that are old  
New sensations  
that make me surprisingly bold  
New respect  
for myself  
New, it's all new  
and yet..."

Kerry sat down in one of the chairs that faced the board. All over it were messages from the elementary students that used it during the day. She started speaking, "I try not to remember my school age years. No one even tried to befriend me, to see why I had a crutch. I never even got a question about it. I was just avoided like the plague. I went to college, and it was better because I was at the top of my class. Still, people only wanted me around for my knowledge, and so slowly, as I progressed through college and then med school, I decided to cut out the middle man and only give the world my skills, my knowledge. I have destroyed many relationships inadvertently because of this, I never thought that I was good enough for them." Kerry took a deep breath and looked up, "But then, I met you, and literally within minutes you had shot to hell every wall and hurdle that I put up, and I let them go easily for some reason. Except for one..."

Kim chose now to interrupt quietly, "Coming out to your co- workers?"

Kerry shook her head negatively while tracing the carving of the name 'Kim' in the desk before her. "You might not believe this, but no...well, not exactly. I was always pretty sure that I could deal with being out at work, it was showing my co-workers, my employees that I had a personal life that I was terrified about." Kerry finally looked up and glanced at the clock, "We...we should probably be finishing getting ready now? I'll see you..."

Kim closed the distance between them with startling speed, considering the fact that she had on pounds and pounds of body suit, and with her two clawed hands gently took Kerry's face and kissed her with all the emotion possible. When they came up for breath Kerry almost laughed with relief. Kim wasn't done yet though, "Kerry, c'mere, I have something to show you."

Kerry was led by Kim over to the board where among the chalky messages was one on a piece of folded paper. On the front it said. 'Dr. Kerry'. Kerry opened it up, and inside in child like letters, some backward, some upside down it read, 'Dear Dr. Kerry, thank you. my teacher says that you are being a beauty. I always wanted to be a beauty, and my teacher says I can meet you if I go tonight. Can I meet you?'

Kim wiped away the mix of joyful and sad tears that coursed down Kerry's cheeks. "Lydia is going to practically murder you for making your make-up run."

Kerry laughed through her tears as they slowly abated. "Thank you Kim."

Kim held her big clawed hands up, "Hey, I didn't write the letter...cause I definitely have better grammar than that."

Kerry smirked and playfully slapped Kim's artificially hairy chest, "I know that. I have a proposal for you. Kim Legaspi, will you go out on a date with me? You see, we've really only been on one, and that is another thing that I managed to miss out on in my teen years."

Kim rolled her eyes, "Believe me Kerry, you didn't miss out on much. And I would be delighted Ms. Kerry Weaver. Will you be asking me to the Prom as well? Maybe we can get cutest couple. Though, you may have to wear lifts."

Kerry raised an eyebrow in perfect imitation of Kim's own facial gesture, "Well...weirdest couple maybe...you all Beastie looking, and me looking like an escapee from the loony bin."

Kim laughed easily at this, "Well, I wasn't Looking for Romance, but I guess that I found it again with The Pretty Irish Girl."

Kerry sighed, it felt as though a thousand pounds had been lifted from her shoulders, "Well...I see that they can Make a Man Out of You." She said in response.

Kim chuckled lightly, making sure that she didn't open her mouth too far, so that her boar fangs wouldn't fall out. "Yes, I Went the Distance."

Kerry was now practically on the floor laughing, "So, is it A Whole New World under all that make-up and fur?"

Kim let loose with her own convulsive laughter, and true to form her fangs fell out, "I bet you've never had a Friend Like Me."

Kerry glanced quickly around the room and then moved a little closer to Kim, "Well, it is Just The Two of Us."

Kim also moved closer so that they were nose to furry nose, "That wasn't Disney, but Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"

Kerry kissed Kim on her furry nose, and backed up, "Be Prepared to Kiss the Girl." Kerry left the room in a almost buoyant mood, and whistling "Let's Get Together". Kim shook her head in bemusement and put on her feet.


	6. Chapter Five

Kerry was a very happy person as she slowly got out of her costume and back into her street clothes to go "interact with the crowd" as Maggie had put it. Of course, for the entire production Maggie, as Mrs. Potts, had been wearing a big assed grin from one bright red cheek to the other.

Kim had practically leaped out of her Prince costume once the curtains had closed after the final curtain call, and so was standing by the door tapping her foot impatiently. Kerry just chuckled as she walked over to Kim, gave her a peck on the cheek, and shoved her coat into Kim's hands. "Just one more thing Kim. Then we can go fill your appetite."

Kim smiled and followed after Kerry towards the lobby of the school. When Kerry and Kim arrived in the Lobby a great cheer went up. They were both given pats and got to shake many hands. But Kerry had only one destination in mind. In the corner stood a small girl and what appeared to be her mother. Kerry smiled at the mother, "I'm Kerry Weaver." Kerry bent down so that she was even with the girl. "Did you write that note on the board?"

The girl looked shyly down, Kim had an inspiration and spoke, "Ms..."

The mother looked up from her daughter and Kerry, and then kept looking up, "Lehyel, Cindy Lehyel."

Kim nodded, "Ms. Lehyel, how did you like how they did that whole transformation thing on-stage. I was sure wondering how they were going to accomplish that."

Kim subtly moved off to one side to keep talking to Ms. Lehyel. Kerry smiled thanks up at Kim and brought her focus back onto the child. "I'm Kerry, what's your name?" Kerry sat down next to the girl.

Still shy the girl responded, "I'm Katie. You're pretty."

Kerry smiled, "How do you know that, you haven't looked at me yet?"

Katie raised her head with defiance, "I saw you on stage. You were pretty. All like a beauty. That Gaston wasn't nice, but the Beast was really nice. Do people make fun of you? And the nice old man was really nice, but that other old man was really evil."

Kerry brought her crutch in front of her, "Do you get teased about having one of these?" Katie nodded slowly and Kerry continued, "You know that none of your classmates could probably walk with one of these like we do?"

Katie's face lit up at this, "Really, can you walk fast and stuff. I still kinda trip and stuff." Katie's face started to dim a bit again, "Then I fall, and everyone laughs."

Kerry nodded sympathetically, "But don't they laugh when anyone falls on their bottom in class?" Katie thought for a second then nodded affirmatively, "Do you have any real good friends? A best friend?"

Katie nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, her name is Michelle. She has the tall lady's color hair, but it is poofier and shorter. When I am feeling tired and I sit down at recess she uses my crutch as a light saber or a sword or something like that. She makes me laugh, and she's cool."

Kerry leaned in towards Katie and whispered, "Any time you need someone to play light saber against her, call me. Do you think you can do that?"

Katie seriously shook her head negatively, "I don't have your phone number Dr. Kerry."

Kerry's face almost split in half because of the gigantic grin that she got on her face. "Ah...how adult of me." Katie laughed at this. "Will you give this to your mother?" Katie nodded enthusiastically as Kerry scrawled her number on the back of a business card. Katie took it and immediately went over to her mother and handed it to her with a gigantic smile.

Kerry got up with a grown and Katie's head snapped back to Kerry immediately, "Are you okay Dr. Kerry?"

Kerry smiled, "I'm fine Katie, just oldness pains."

Katie furrowed her brow, "But you aren't old. Mommy's old." Kerry blushed to her roots as Kim and Cindy Lehyel came back over. Cindy mouthed 'Thank you'. Kerry just smiled and she and Kim walked out into the warm night air.

Kim took hold of Kerry's hand with no resistance once they were out in the open away from the crowds. "So, did you two crutch bearers bond?" Kim said this in a teasing tone.

Kerry smiled, "Yes Ms. Sarcastic, we actually did." She gazed up at the surprisingly clear and dark sky with its pin pricks of light. "Maybe it wasn't just the other kids that exiled me. Maybe some of the blame should be laid on me?"

Kim hugged Kerry to her, "Just let it be Kerry. You are a beautiful, successful career woman, with a drop dead gorgeous girlfriend..."

Kerry gently slapped Kim in the abdomen, "For that I should torture you with my school day stories for the rest of your life...but I'll let it go, because for some reason I am feeling on top of the world tonight. So, IHOP or Denny's"

Kim rubbed her abs, "Ouch...definitely IHOP...Denny's and my stomach are not a good match, especially after that rough treatment." Kerry simply shook her head and smirked at Kim as they walked to the El.


End file.
